Build'n Race
By Chad Sapieha,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Clever build-your-own-track racer is plagued by glitches.
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Build'n Race
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What’s It About?
BUILD'N RACE lets kids create their own racetracks. Using a simple level editor that breaks circuits into simple blocks and organizes them into categories such as "bends" and "straights," "skyscrapers" and "landmarks," players can create lengthy, scenic tracks in a matter of minutes. They can also customize the cars that they race on them, modifying their paintjobs, wheels, and spoilers. Outside the editor, players hit the road in single races, quick championships, and challenges that task racers to place first or beat a pre-established reference time. A local multiplayer mode accommodates up to four competitors on the same screen as they race in tournaments, as part of a team, and in quick one-off events.
Is It Any Good?
The appeal of building your own racetracks, complete with jumps over buses, twisty chicanes, and customized roadside scenery, is undeniable. And the game's editor tool, which lets players build massive circuits in not much more time than it takes to drive around them, is a snap to learn. Alas, it's all overshadowed by glitches and half-hearted design.
The track editor often doesn't alert players when track pieces don't fit well together, leaving players to discover, say, walls between two pieces of track with different elevations, while driving. Even in tracks designed by the developers there are places where players can skid over a road barrier and simply not be able to get back on the track. But that's bearable compared to the frozen screens we encountered while trying to finalize our custom circuits. There were times when we were left with no option but to switch the console off and start over. Our advice is to wait for this fall's Mod Nation Racers for PlayStation 3, which promises a similar build-your-own-track concept with much higher production values and better quality assurance.
Online interaction: Not an issue.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about user-generated game content. Did you enjoy building your own tracks and customizing your cars? Is actively building a game more satisfying that passively consuming one? Can you think of other games that provide tools to let you create and share content?
Families can also discuss traffic safety. This game doesn't mention it, but race cars are meant for race tracks, and only trained professionals should drive them. Have you ever seen people driving dangerously? Were you afraid of what might happen?
Game Details
- Platform: Nintendo Wii
- Available online?: Not available online
- Publisher: Zoo Games
- Release date: August 4, 2009
- Genre: Racing
- ESRB rating: E for Alcohol Reference
- Last updated: August 31, 2016
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